Starting 3 New Works in 3 New Cities

Starting 3 New Works in 3 New Cities

I think it was Confucius that said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Not that I follow Confucius, but that’s pretty much how I feel right now!

God has been growing his church! Being a part of his mission to make disciples has been an honor. Lately, we’ve started some new works in new cities. I’m stoked to share about them here!

Grow Groups are where it’s at.

Many of my blog followers know that Grow Groups are my bread and butter. There’s something about them. Real community happens. Whether it’s Bible study, deep discussion, fun game nights, or sharing meals, this is where the church can really be the church.

Grow Groups also serve in areas of the community to make a difference in the city. They “adopt” a portion of the city to serve and build relationships.

My favorite aspect of Grow Groups, however, is church planting. The CrossPoint campus I currently pastor at began as a simple Grow Group! As people continued coming, it eventually became a CrossPoint campus. If you’d like to hear more about this story, visit this video: Why We Love Grow Groups.

I’m all over the place.

My current position at CrossPoint involves serving two different campuses. We are a multisite church—one church in many places. I get to serve both the Lindsborg and Salina campuses. In Lindsborg, I’m the only pastor on site. In Salina, I’m one of many pastors on site.

Salina is much bigger than Lindsborg. We have around 60 people in Lindsborg. Over 400 people attend our Salina campus on a normal weekend. And most of my efforts in Salina regard the Grow Group ministry. I help take care of leaders, provide training, help new families get plugged in, and help multiply Groups.

Lately, I’ve been working with families in our church network to start three new Grow Groups in three new cities! And it’s happening!

Marquette, Ellsworth, and Minneapolis.

The Marquette Group is launching from the Lindsborg campus. They are a family that became members last year and have felt the call to step up and reach the city they live in. Marquette isn’t too far from Lindsborg. They can easily travel on the weekend. But how cool would it be to take a potential church to residents of Marquette? This Group launched last week and had seven people attend! They’ve already connected with a few unchurched people. It’s the beginning of something big.

In Ellsworth, we are sending a family that attends the Salina campus. They’ve been traveling for miles to attend church in Salina. Now, we are launching a Group that can provide a place for people in the Ellsworth area to attend. These aren’t church plants, but Grow Groups have a track record of becoming full campuses! No “adoption” has been confirmed yet, but this Group has high hopes for an Ellsworth campus one day.

The Minneapolis Group is also launching from the Salina campus. The family leading this Group has been a part of CrossPoint Salina for many years, even from the early days when only 50 people attended. They renovated a home in Minneapolis and plan to stay there. Having been a part of the CrossPoint family for many years, they know what a fruitful Grow Group looks like. And they are pumped.

We must be growing into new cities.

Here’s the best part about these new Grow Groups—they all multiplied out of existing Groups. Each new work has great support because there is another Group praying, texting, and talking with them along the way.

When I see a new family step up to leadership like this, my heart gets full. It’s through this process that I am affirmed—we are doing what we should be doing. I have seen salvations ignite, new churches planted, and communities changed through our Grow Group ministry.

The church should be on mission to reach new people in new places with the same old gospel. I’m so proud of these three families stepping up to join the mission.

As we launch these Groups, I ask for your prayers. We are hitting the ground running by making plans to serve the community, build our influence, and make disciples however the Spirit leads.

I love being able to help start new works like these. Most of the time, I’m not the initiator; I’m just a helper and a guide to those who want to love God by reaching their city. My tasks don’t involve telling others what to do; I get to walk next to them as they strive to join God in his work!

These new works have massive potential to reach a lot of people with the gospel. Our goal is not to simply have a great Bible study or hang out as Christian friends. We are on mission. We are seeking to glorify God by making disciples. Join us in celebrating the growth of our ministry at CrossPoint!

I am. It’s just that I’ve believed in this model of church for very long, except it’s hard to find similar models here in my country. The practices for years have been centred more around the church building, with small groups as secondary or only supplementary. I appreciate your sharing what you have. It encourages me to hope for something more and to hope to be a part of the change.

I’m happy to connect with you! I’d be interested in hearing more about your church. Happy to encourage any way I can. If you have people traveling to your church from outside the city, consider meeting with them in their city for a Bible study. This would be a huge step!

It’s so amazing to be a part of the work at Crossspoint Lindsborg. It has been such a joy ,as I look back, and see all that God has done in such a short time. I am so excited to see what THE LORD has for us in the days ahead. Our church has really come together like one big family. AMAZING!